I missed court date for speeding ticket

[jjtech]

Hi,

I just realized that I missed court for a speeding ticket.

 

the summon came when I was on holiday and

 

then got buried under the pile of papers (I don't live in this house by myself).

 

I found it now by accident.

 

I asked if anyone signed for it and nobody says they did.

 

I don't know what I should do now.

 

Can anyone please help?

 

Thank you in advance,

J

[renegadeimp]

Contact the court ASAP and advise them. They take a very dim view of people that dont contact them as to them it clearly looks like the person is trying to run away from the fine.

[jjtech]

Thank you for your help.

I called them just now and they fined me 530 pounds and took 5 points from my license for 12 miles above the limit. I don't even have means to pay it, let alone how justified it is.

[renegadeimp]

Then you tell them and you arrange a repayment method.

 

Otherwise it will get sent to bailiffs who will increase the amount even more to cover their charges.

 

As for justified, it all depends in what area you were speeding.

 

I fyou were 32 in a 20, then it is COMPELTELY justified.

 

If it was 82 in a 70 area,

 

then it can be challenged.

[jjtech]

Thanks for help again.

 

I don't think that £530 for it is justified at all as my original fine was 60 pounds.

 

They increased it by 900%

 

- so no, it's all not justified at all,

but it's just my opinion.

 

If I could find a way to NOT pay it,

 

surely I wouldn't.

 

Have a great rest of the day.

J

[dx100uk]

I would suspect this has already gone to bailiffs if its that high? [+£380 typically]

when were you supposed to attend?

 

dx

[ploddertom]

If you didn't appear or write in then you will be fined in your absence at the maximum amount as they have no idea of your means. How have you just realised it has been dealt with?

[Aretnap]

If you didn't appear or write in then you will be fined in your absence at the maximum amount as they have no idea of your means.

No you won't - they'll assume a post tax income of £400/week - the notional national average.

 

jjtech - I would guess that the £530 breaks down into something like £400 fine, £90 costs and £40 victim surcharge. This (and 4-6 points) would be in line with the sentencing guidelines if you were 12mph over a 20 or 30mph limit, but not if the limit was higher. Yes it's a lot higher than the fixed penalty - but the fixed penalty is basically a chance to accept a much lower penalty than you'd get in court in return for not taking up public money arguing the toss.

 

If you were genuinely unaware of the case against you until now you can make a statutory declaration which will have the conviction set aside and the process restarted - the procedure is outlined here. http://www.driverdefenceservice.co.uk/Statutory-Declarations.php You may encounter a certain amount of scepticism if you say that the summons got lost under a pile of paper - but note that making a false declaration is punishable by imprisonment, so don't be tempted to invent details if you have to explain exactly what happened.

 

Resetting the process won't take you back to the original 3 points and £60, but it will at least mean that the fine will be based on your actual income (good if it's less than £400/week) and that you'll get a one third reduction if you plead guilty. Note though that if your income is quite high (more than about £600/week after tax) you could end up paying more as a result, in which case it would be better to grit your teeth and pay.